This invention relates generally to syngas coolers within a gasifier system, and, more specifically, to a quench ring for use with syngas coolers.
Some known syngas coolers cool syngas, fly ash particulates, and slag within the syngas as the syngas is cooled by radiative and convective heat transfer in an array of tubes. By rapidly lowering the bulk temperature of the syngas, slag, and/or particulates, some suspended slag and/or particulates may deposit from the syngas onto tube surface. Other slag drops or particles are cooled and exit with cooled syngas from the lower section of the syngas cooler tube area. In such a boiler, solidified slag, cooled particulates, and cooled synthetic gas are removed at the lower end of a down flow syngas cooler tube area.
Other known syngas coolers use a quench system to quench the syngas, slag, and particles contained therein with a cooling fluid. Some such quench systems includes quench rings to provide a flow of water to cool a metal surface in contact with hot syngas, particulates, and/or slag as they flow through the cooler. The water cools the metal surface coming into contact with hot syngas, particulates, and slag. Some known quench rings are positioned below a quench gasifier and include multiple water channels, including a hot face channel formed by a curved hot face and baffles. Significant amounts of water are provided to the various channels of such a quench ring to ensure that the ring is continuously filled with water, such that the ring provides a substantially constant flow of water to the metal surfaces. The flow of water from such quench rings may be non-uniform to surfaces needing cooling if an insufficient amount of water is provided to the quench ring. Furthermore, the use of such quench rings may be limited by the availability of water and/or the space available to position the quench ring.